The First Quarter Quell
by Lil-Lioness-Cub
Summary: Libby Hartshorne is just an ordinary fourteen year old girl of District 7. Until she is chosen by her own district to enter the arena. (Rated K for now, although rating most likely will change due to unavoidable violence)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

I toss and turn, never finding a spot cool enough for me to sleep properly. That's probably why I wake early, before the sun's shown any sign of rising. I make a drink of cold water in an attempt to cool down. By the time I get back to my bed, it's cooled enough for me to sleep. I sleep until I am woken several hours later by my mother. Normally I'd get up straight away, although one look at the six dresses hanging up makes me want to stay in bed. Of course, I don't.

I sit up and follow my sisters to the next room, where there is a slice of bread for each of us. We all eat in silence, whereas usually we'd be talking about what we plan to do during the day. We sit there in silence for about ten minutes before we decide there's no point sitting there anymore. We go back into the bedroom and stand in a row. My mother hands out the dresses out to us one by one.

First my youngest sister, Lucy, gets this white dress with small light pink flowers dotted about and a matching headband covered in the same flowers. Then it's my turn. I get a purple dress with a layered skirt, edged with tiny black flowers. My slightly older sister, Lily gets a bright pink dress that reaches from the top of her right knee to the bottom of her left, with an intricate floral pattern in black. My middle oldest sister, Lottie is given a plain white blouse and a black skirt with a widely netted rainbow overskirt with small multi-coloured flowers at each cross. My eldest sister, Louise, gets a grass green dress with large white flowers at the neckline, belt and bottom of the skirt. My mother wears the same blue dress she wears every year.

My mother usually spends the whole year making these dresses, a new theme each year. It's clear to us all that this year it's flowers. My mother really tries hard to make the reaping fun. This year, Lottie helped. She insisted on making her own outfit this year. That probably explains why it's so simple.

This year feels so much more uneasy to me. I don't know why, but I have a bad gut feeling. This year is the first quarter quell, meaning it's been twenty-five years since the uprising. Every twenty-five years is special. This is the only time it's happened so far. This year, you have to choose who goes in. Normally, any person between the ages of twelve and eighteen has a possibility of being chosen, but this year most feel safer. So why don't I?

We walk out into the square in front of the Justice Building, where we sign in and we're roped off into different categories for our ages. Lucy's taken to the back with the other twelve year olds, I'm taken to the area for the fourteen year olds, Lily goes with the fifteen year olds and Lottie goes to the seventeen year olds. This year, Louise is lucky enough to be nineteen. She's now too old to be chosen and she gets to comfort our mother.

There's two points that affect the chance of being chosen. The first is age. At twelve, your name is in the ball only once. At thirteen, twice. At fourteen, three times and so on, until you are eighteen, your name is in there seven times. The second point is tesserae. If you are starving, you can take out a year's supply of grain and oil. You can do this as many times as you like. The only problem is, your name is added to the reaping ball once more each time. And every year it stays there.

Last year, Louise had her name in seven times because she was eighteen, and all the tesserae she had to buy for us totalled that to thirty one times. (She had to buy all six of us tesserae when she was twelve and thirteen, then when she was fourteen she split it between her and Lottie, etc.)

This year, Lottie will have her name in eighteen times, Lily will have her name in ten times, I will have my name in six times and Lucy will have her name in only twice. Louise would have loved to have bought all the tesserae every year, but she'd have her name in forty-three times.

I wait there for only a minute or so before I spot my best and only friend, standing on his tiptoes and trying to look through the crowd of fourteen year olds. I sneak up behind and say right in his ear:

"Looking for someone?" He jumps around, obviously startled by my sudden appearance.  
"Ehh, just some midget who's taken to following me around." He quips, ruffling my hair that I'd taken time to braid. I sigh.  
"Darren! Watch the hair!" I whine playfully.  
"Why? You'll be hard to spot from this crowd." He grins, then turns to face the stage. "Do you need me to pick you up so you can see?" He asks without turning around. I punch him on the shoulder in reply.

The stage is set up as it usually is, with the podium at the front with the microphone on it, two stands that usually hold two glass balls, but appear to hold a golden envelope each, and four chairs; one for our mayor, one for our escort, Catherine Lowe, and the last two for our previous victors.

Our mayor walks up to the microphone and starts telling the story of Panem, which I find easy to block out. I only start listening again when I hear him start to introduce our previous victors.  
"Gavin Matthews," The mayor says as a man in his mid-thirties raises one hand in acknowledgement.  
"And Grace Davies," The young woman sitting next to him smiles. I think she won recently, because she can't be much older than twenty.  
"And now," The mayor says, drawing attention back to himself, "our Capitol escort, Catherine Lowe."  
The mayor sits down as a woman walks up to the microphone. If you didn't know who she was, you'd know for a fact that she wasn't from here. For starters, even the most vivid clothes here looks a dull, drab grey compared to her practically neon orange dress and matching hair. Even her skin looks more of a shimmery orange, probably one of the Capitol's weird adjustments they have. She reaches the microphone and says in a high pitched, girlish voice that was probably put on:  
"Well, let's do ladies first, shall we?" I catch Lucy glancing around worriedly. I meet her eye and shake my head. Nobody would choose a twelve year old. Not even the cruellest person. I turn back to the front just in time to see Catherine open the first golden envelope and announce,

"Libby Hartshorne"

**A/N I'M SO, SO SORRY! I really can't explain why starting a new story is easier for me than continuing all the unfinished ones. Ah, well, can't be helped really. Please review, it doesn't murder puppies. You don't even need to log in! Seriously, please review because I might actually get past four chapters for this one if just one person reviews! (Before I started fanfiction, I promised I wouldn't beg for reviews. Great.)**

**Also the next chapter will most likely be out soon if I don't get writer's block / mind blank / whatever you want to call it. Or, as John Green says; my thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations. That is the most elegant way I've heard it put. Yeah, no, this is going to get super long if I don't stop now. (Oh god, only two pages on word. I hoped it'd be longer)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

I stand there for a while as my brain skids to a halt and I have trouble remembering where I am, what's happening and why everyone is staring at me. And then I remember.

I was chosen.

My brain decides to let me retain some dignity, as I at least managed to keep my mouth closed. And I start walking. I don't know if it feels like a long time or a short time, but I'm on the steps, then standing next to Catherine Lowe, and she's staring at me confused. She's not the only one.

I've never really been tall. In fact, I'm almost a head shorter than Darren, although he's pretty tall so the same can be said for most people. I'm skinny, because there were seven mouths to feed before my father died, and six isn't much better. I definitely do not look like I could win. So why was I chosen?

I look at the crowd and most look guilty. They should do. They condemned me. I hear a hysterical sobbing, which can only be my mother. My sisters all look shocked and sad. I try not to look at anyone else, although my eyes involuntarily drift to Darren. He's not even looking at me.

Catherine Lowe must have realised no-one will clap for me, so I think she calls out the boy. I don't hear it. All I know is that a boy is coming up onto the stage and stands the other side of Catherine. He glances at me for just a second and I know I've met him before. I can't put a name or a voice to this face, though. I can't even remember when or how we met. I just know we have.

The mayor's talking again, but I still can't hear. Then the boy turns to me and we shake hands. I see in his eyes that he looks guilty too. He must have voted for me. Or maybe it's something to do with that memory I've forgotten. Then we're being taken into the Justice Building and I'm alone in a room and it takes all I can not to cry.

My mother and sisters come in, and they're all crying. Lucy sits on my lap and sobs into my shoulder. Mum has calmed down a bit, and now she silently cries into her handkerchief.

"I love you, honey. Don't you ever forget that," is all she can say before she breaks down and has to sit on a seat opposite me. Louise just smiles at me tearily and says,  
"You were always the least annoying one."  
"Thanks" I say.  
"I'll miss you," Lottie sniffles, "Come home in one peace, y'hear?" I nod.  
"I always knew you were strong. I don't know how you're not crying." Lily says.  
"You're not the only one." I say sarcastically and chuckle a bit, but it's forced. Lucy whimpers something, and I almost miss it, but I just about catch her say,  
"Please don't die."  
"I won't. I promise." I say. I wish I hadn't said the last part. Promising not to die is wrong, because not only would I be dead, but I'd have broken a promise, and I wouldn't be there for Lucy to tell me off.

Peacekeepers come in and I'm alone again, but not for long. Darren crosses to me and sits by me.

"I guess you won't be here for your birthday. Here." He says. It's true. My birthday's only a couple of weeks away. He hands me a box, which is small and flat. I open it and see a gold chain, with a small, gold crescent moon. It takes my breath away.  
"Darren… This… This is beautiful. How could you afford it?" I breathe.  
"I've been saving up for months. Years maybe. No biggie." He says and shrugs. Only, I can see the nervousness in his eyes. I hug him tightly, and tears prick my eyes. One travels down my cheek and onto his shoulder. I pull back and laugh lightly.  
"Don't cry." He whispers. He wipes the wet track off my cheek and keeps his hand there. "You're strong. You'll make it through. Just get a scythe, a knife or an axe."  
"Axes are too heavy, they make me slow. Scythes are rare, there probably won't be one. And everyone wants a knife." I reply, whispering too. Another tear runs down my cheek, then another, then another. I'm crying now as I face the reality. I will have a few days of looking pretty for cameras, training and eating as much as I can, then I will most likely die within the first day in the arena.  
"They have a scythe most years. I checked. You won't die. You- you can't die." He says, his face only inches away from mine before he stands up and picks up the box. "Here." He says as he removes the necklace from the box and leans down to put it on me. I look at it for a moment, and when I look up, his face is close again. Before I can react, he pecks me softly on the lips and leaves the room, leaving me in a stunned silence.

It's only a short car ride to the train station, but as I look out at the trees, probably for the last time, I barely see them.

The train station is flooded with reporters and cameras, which take pictures at every step. Then we're on the train and allowed to do whatever we want. I go to my own private room, and take a hot shower. The closest thing I've ever had to a shower is when I would stand in the rain. But that was usually freezing. The water warms me up and I don't want to leave. Although, I don't want wet hair at dinner so I get out and dry my hair. I find a silky, forget-me-not blue blouse and black skirt. I put my necklace back on, and decide to only take it off for showering from now on. I leave the compartment and into the dining room to find everyone is already there. There is a space in between Catherine and Grace, which I sit in.

"Oh good, punctual ones this year. Usually I have to collect them for supper!" Catherine says, smiling at me. I get the feeling she was trying to compliment me. A servant comes in with a large platter of food, which I tuck into ravenously.  
"Be careful there." Grace says to me. "You're not used to food this rich. You might be sick." I try to be more careful, but I'm still hungry. I didn't eat much breakfast, and I didn't have lunch. About half way through dinner, Gavin starts the conversation.  
"Now, we have to think about what we'll do. Tomorrow you'll be going to your stylist, then you'll be displayed for the first time."  
"Yes, we need to think about how you'll look." Grace continues. "What do we want you to be like for the Capitol. You, dearie, look adorable." She says to me. "Can you play cute and harmless?"  
"I can try." I reply.  
"Great. Now what about you, Kyle?" She asks. I guess this must be the name of the boy from my district. For some reason, it doesn't seem familiar. I guess I never knew his name.  
"I think he could be sarcastic and confident. The ladies'll love him." Gavin says. "You think you could do that?" Kyle nods.  
"Perfect. All sorted. We'll have a rehearsal of sorts at breakfast tomorrow. Now, however, it's time for bed. Get a good night's sleep." Grace tells us. She reminds me of my mother. The way she talks. Her little pet names. Even her smile is always so sincere and happy. I wonder how she does it, after being in the arena. The horrors she must have seen.

On the way back to my compartment, I find myself alone with Kyle. He seems to be avoiding my eyes. I think he must remember what happened when we first met.  
"Y'know," I start "I've met you before. The thing is, I just can't remember where." He glances at me for just a second and gulps.  
"We must have bumped into each other at school." He replies.  
"Wow. I didn't think anybody could be a worse liar than my sister." I say, raising an eyebrow. Somehow, I know it's not true. He sighs.  
"Fine. It was a couple of years ago. I was just walking through a forest, when I stumbled across you training. You hadn't noticed me, but then you pointed your scythe right at me. Then you looked shocked, so I guess you didn't know I was there after all. Then you told me not to tell anyone. I nodded and left." He tells me. I smile sarcastically.  
"Thaaat's it… Well, you kept that promise well." I say, and disappear into my room.

**A/N**

**Two chapters! Better than the last story! I was going to continue this, but I felt this was the right place to stop.**

**Thanks to Ainlina101 for reviewing! Speaking of reviews, I won't beg anymore. I'm not even going to say "I won't post another chapter until I get 10 reviews!1". I'm just going to say this. I suffer from extreme procrastination. A review will remind me to get on with this, and will help combat my procrastination.**

**Also, if anybody spots any mistakes, please mention it to me! Even if there are several thousand, I'd love to know because I love correcting things!**

**(Three pages… Getting better!)**


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